On the Other Side of the River
by Aiko Isari
Summary: [01 AU] By the all-mighty command of his big brother, Ken takes his place on a district-wide camping trip, with the strict duty to stay beside Yagami Taichi as much as possible. Did that include when they ended up on a weird island with talking pinecone creatures? And when he saw a person fighting against talking lions? Ken thought he was going to run out of film!
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:_** _Happy Odaiba Day everyone! Let's kick things off with an 01 rewrite! Here goes nothing! Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter One: Somewhere In the Wave**

There were three things that Ichijouji Ken had to do to get through this situation.

The first was to hold onto his camera. The second was to find Yagami Taichi. And the third was to _not stop running_.

"Ken-chan, hurry, hurry!"

 _Easy for you to say, you can float._

Ken did not say this aloud, choosing to focus on saving his breath and air. He couldn't fall over, cause if he did-

The loud shriek behind him was followed by the crash of a falling tree. He pushed his feet forward. Ken pumped his small legs, purple hair sticking to his face as he ducked his head. _Hurry, hurry,_ he told himself as the little pinecone monster he had met at random appeared in his vision again, waving a green flipper.

"Dive, Ken-chan, _dive_!"

Ken dove straight towards a tree trunk. He expected to hit wood. Instead he rolled onto cool tile, landing somewhat on his feet. It stung, sending reverberations up his legs. He winced. "Ow…"

"You okay, Ken-chan?" The tiny voice came from atop his head and a tiny twig fell in his face. He felt the strange creature crawl forward.

Ken rolled back, once neatly combed hair now sticking up in every direction, getting a face full of mouth pod and seemingly cute. He traced his arm and found it bleeding. "Just a scratch... I think." It didn't hurt like it was deep, but it burned like his fall on rocks and woodchips from the swing set.

The creature, Minomon, he reminded himself, blinked its beady eyes and floated down to look at it. "It's trickling a lot... are you sure it's okay?"

Ken hesitated, pressing against the wound with a part of his sleeve. He tried not to flinch at the sight of the blood. "I-I think so… one of the others had a first aid kit."

Minomon clacked his mouth and nodded, determination setting in his small face and eyes. "i'll go look for them! Do they all look like you?" The energetic waving of Minomon's flippers caused Ken to fidget a little. Was this why his brother sometimes said to quiet down? He must be very loud.

"Um no... most of them are taller." Ken scratched his head, wishing he was better at describing lots of people. He paused a minute. There was one. If Minomon found him, then... "Oh, can you look for Taichi-san? He-He should be able to find everyone else. His hair is really big and messy and brown." He made a gesture with his good arm. "He also has these goggles and he's wearing blue! Look for him Minomon, okay?" _Not to mention, Taichi-san knows who I am. So he'll believe you._

He hoped the older boy would anyway.

Minomon bobbed his head. "Okay! Stay here in the Hiding Tree and wait for me!"

Before Ken could say no, the pinecone disappeared through the wall with a _schlooping_ sound. He stared for a moment, then slumped to the ground. It wasn't rough, but a little smooth. He drew up his knees and rested his head against them, trying not to tremble.

 _Nii-san, I wish you were here..._

His brother was smart; he'd be able to get out of this.

Then again, he had gotten himself out of it already.

* * *

August first had dawned sunny and mostly cloudless, at least in Japan. Ichijouji Ken watched his father flick from news channel to news channel, dismay clouding his face more and more as things went on. "Floods, landslides, blizzards all over the place…" he muttered. "Thought global warming was considered a myth."

"I don't think global warming acts this erratic, Dad." Ichijouji Osamu shut his brother's door, heaving a small. bag over his lanky shoulder. "Kay, Ken, you're packed."

Ken perked at the sound of his brother's voice and only stayed on the stool by virtue of his mother's insistent comb. "Thanks, Nii-san!" He paused. "I could have packed it though."

Osamu grinned, reaching to clean his glasses. "I'm throwing you to the wolves. The least I can do is give you a sandwich."

Ken's eyes widened. "There- there are no wolves by the shrine!" He shifted nervously in his chair. to look at his father "R-right, Dad?" He winced at a tug in his hair as his mother let go, toying at his now shortened locks.

His father smiled and shook his head. "Of course not, he's just teasing again."

"Sure there are, Dad." Ken couldn't help giggling at the wide-eyed earnestness on his brother's face. "They're called kids."

"Osamu, stop discouraging him." Their mother sighed gently, nudging Ken from the stool. "They're not going to eat you, Ken, really. You'll be fine."

Ken hopped from the stool. "Mm... Thanks Mom!" He went to go check his bag, testing it in his hands. "I wish Nii-san could come too..." He knew he shouldn't say it again (he'd chanted it all week!) but he _did_. His brother could be kinda rough at times, and he was a little impatient but Ken would have had even more fun if he was there.

"I'd rather be there than _exam tutoring_." Osamu rolled his eyes. The day I need a tutor for anything other than computer hardware and economics is the day Ken's hair stays near his ears."

"Nii-san!" Ken brushed at his newly cut hair. He didn't like it short, what was wrong with that?

Osamu moved over to him and began to tickle his stomach. "What, what is it, Ken? Have I _offended_ you?" Ken laughed and tried to scramble away, but he knew his brother would be relentless. He always was at tickle fights. And sports. And school. And protecting Ken. And…

Wow, when he put it like that, Osamu sounded pretty tough. Hehe. His brother was tough. He always said he had the strength of a wet noodle.

There was a knock at the door and Ken saw his mother rise. "Already? It's quite early, isn't it?"

"It's a good thing Nii-san packed me then." Ken swung his legs back and forth. He was trying not to just run out the door without saying goodbye, but it was summer camp! He'd never _been_ before! Who _wouldn't_ want to go? He could make friends and pen pals and show Osamu what he knew about the outdoors and get to be in photos and a lot of stuff. Everyone would be so proud. Those were things that Osamu couldn't do. Also... friends.

His mother opened the door and smiled. "Hello there." Her voice wavered a bit before she continued. "How can I help you?"

From where he was sitting, all Ken could see was a mass of brown hair. "Hello, this is the Ichijouji residence, right?" A pause, then the person must have grinned. "My name is Yagami Taichi, I'm supposed to pick up… Ken? For the summer trip? I'm getting that right, aren't I?"

Ken perked at the sound of his name, only to stop at the tight grip on his shoulder. Osamu's pale lips were set in a thin line. "Nii-san…"

Of course. His brother was worried. Ken tried to smile at him. He'd be all right. He was just gonna go to camp, draw some pictures, maybe make a couple friends (friends were hard when you had a super famous big brother!), fun things! Except for no toilets, but he could work around that.

Their mother smiled. "Yes, please come in. I'm sorry, it must have been a long journey." She stepped aside and he saw the rest of Yagami Taichi.

All Ken could think was that this guy was _nothing_ like Osamu-nii-san.

(He would later remember the word he was thinking of was _antithesis_.)

His brother would forever be known to him as smart, quiet, somewhat thoughtful, clever, but muted. When parents weren't watching him, Ken always saw Osamu trying to blend in with the wall. All but around Ken, and sometimes, even him. Ken wished he knew why. Osamu was always pale, no matter how many times their parents said go outside, and the few times that he did. His brother always looked close to falling over.

This person though, they were stocky, small, wild. It wasn't that he wanted attention. As he walked in the room, he had it, right down to the sparkle in his eyes. He grinned at the pair of siblings. He looked from Osamu to Ken. Ken tensed before he could stop himself. Here it was: the inevitably fawning over his brother. Not that his brother didn't deserve it, but it would be nice to be-

Taichi marched over and knelt to Ken. "Well, I'm a bit disappointed," he said. For a moment, Ken thought his brother had grown claws, his hand was so tight, but then Taichi added. "I was expecting someone taller."

Ken couldn't help it; he puffed out his cheeks and tried to glare. "I'm not that short!"

Osamu, however, snickered. "Yeah, you are, Ken."

The boy's grin widened. "I came up here thinking "oh, we've got a tough kid ready to rough it," Taichi made an exaggerated wink in his general direction. "But nope, instead of that, we've got a male version of my sister! So now I don't have to be all smart and plan things and work around you. I just have to strap you to my back and run from any bears. You're light enough, right?"

Ken had to stop pouting to laugh. He didn't even think his dad could use him as a backpack.

Osamu moved his hand from Ken's shoulder and offered it to Taichi to shake. "Ichijouji Osamu. I'll count on you with Ken?" Clipped, no argument, like a business transaction.

Ken waited for the spark of recognition. It didn't come, but Taichi shook his hand anyway. "Done and done, buddy!"

The more Taichi talked, the more Osamu began to relax. Ken felt his cheeks stretching into a painful smile, he was so happy. This was _perfect_! Taichi-san was an older brother, he would be someone that Ken could stick by if he had no friends (not that he didn't think he couldn't make at least one) that wouldn't just dismiss him because he wasn't Osamu or anything special. Taichi-san would welcome him wherever.

And he promised to keep an eye on Ken. He had hit Osamu in the place his big brother always thought about, or at least he said he did.

Osamu's stoic face rippled in surprise and then he smiled. Ken almost sighed aloud. He thought his brother would never relax. "Good. Ken, get your stuff."

In other words, get your other bag from your bed while the parents be good parents for the first time in a while. Ken really didn't see why his brother was so angry at them. He only hoped it would stop while he was gone. His brother needed to relax. However, he went to obey, going to make sure everything was okay and say goodbye to the various stuffed animals. They were all probably very cross with him.

From the other side of the doorway, he heard his mother comment. "You're here awfully early."

Taichi laughed. It sounded sheepish. "Well, my sister has a doctor's appointment pretty soon so we figured we ought to get him then drop her off. She really wanted to meet him." He paused and Ken readjusted the caterpillar onto his pillow. He was always under the impression that this stuffed animal liked his pillow the best.

"She's not good with all of the rowdy kids at her school, so…" Another, tiny pause. "He seems quiet."

"They both are!" Ken winced. His mother was about to brag. Osamu would get mad if she did. He smoothed his blanket down and snatched his travel bag from the floor, hurrying out.

"Done, Nii-san!" he said a bit too loudly. His father shot him a look but Osamu smiled in relief.

Taichi seemed to be on the same lines as his brother. "All righty, hand me the bigger case and we can go!"

Ken nodded and, in a fit of sudden homesickness -but he wasn't even gone yet!- ran to his parents and hugged them, then his brother. Then, before they could see his pink-tinged face, he grabbed his backpack and hurried out the door.

When he reached the elevator, he heard Taichi say. "Your family's not all that good at the whole "sentimental" thing, huh?"

Ken flushed and he knew the older boy could see it reflected on the elevator. "Well…"

Taichi waved a free, gloved hand. "It's cool, it's cool. So, you ready?"

The elevator slid open and Ken smiled. "You bet!" He was, he was so ready to be away from his house, especially since there were still bathrooms, or… something like bathrooms.

Taichi laughed. "That's the spirit!"

* * *

Taichi-san's sister was kind of cute.

In a kid way! She wasn't like: she was a girl! She was cute! That was all!

The large van jolted over a pothole and Hikari let out a squeak, long hair flopping into her face. She lowered the camera in her tiny fingers. Taichi laughed from the seat over.

"Told you to give up on the pictures, Hikari." Hikari pouted and mimed throwing a cracker at him. Taichi ducked in mock horror. "Easy, I need my head for soccer!"

Ken muffled little laughs behind his hands. They looked like they had a lot of fun. Hikari rolled her eyes but she was biting her lip to contain her own giggles. She took a few deep breaths and put her hand over her heart, slowly calming down.

"Ichijouji-kun," she finally said when her face was a little less red. "Do you draw?" She was looking at his open backpack, which he had rummaged through when his mother had come out to hand him his allergy medicine. Embarrassing as it had been, Ken had taken it. No sneezing through the camping trip!

Ken shook his head and pulled the sketchbook onto his lap. "I'd like to because Osamu-nii-san can't but I don't think I'll be able to do very much. Not enough anyway…" He knew he could draw stick figures and shapes but that wasn't much and weren't camps really active?

Hikari nodded thoughtfully, her red eyes very steady on her lap. Then she nodded to herself and removed her camera from her neck. She held it out to Ken. "Would it be faster if you used this instead?"

Ken blinked, looked at the tiny thing with its yellow strap. "Your camera? But, but it's yours…" He didn't want to take things that weren't his.

"Yeah but you're going to camp!" Hikari smiled before she continued, like she had already thought this through. "You take pictures and then you can show me when you get back!"

Ken thought about this. He didn't want to just take the camera, but it would be easier than the sketchbook to get a bunch of pictures done. Still, Hikari-chan should get something too. It was only fair. He pulled out his sketchbook and the pencils. "Trade," he said as firmly as he could. This was weird, he had never really given big things to his classmates before, they were too busy asking if his brother helped him cheat on his homework.

Hikari blinked and Ken hesitated. He could feel Taichi keeping one eye on them and the Yagami's father watching from the rearview mirror. "Of-Of course, if it's too much trouble…"

Hikari dropped the camera in his lap with one hand and took the sketchbook with the other. He thought he could have been imagining it, but her eyes seemed a bit glassy. "No," she said, looking away with a flushed face. "Thank you." She shook her head and her bright little smile returned. "I'll be able to draw the doctor today."

"If she lets you," Susumu muttered with a good natured grin from the driver's seat.

Taichi leaned over. "You should draw me first, Hikari."

Ken let out a squeaking laugh at the look on Taichi's face and Hikari giggled, taking the pencils as well. "I don't think there's enough brown, Onii-chan!"

Taichi made an affronted noise as the van slowed to a stop. He unbuckled and hopped up. "Ken, can you lift your feet?"

Ken hurried to obey as Hikari easily undid the straps. She stretched her arms as her father opened the other car door. A plastic ramp unfolded to the ground and Taichi went outside. Hikari glanced over at Ken and smiled. "Nice meeting you, Ichijouji-kun."

Ken nodded, now feeling a little shy.

Hikari let out a tiny grunt and pushed her chair from where it had sat for so long. After a few careful turns, she had maneuvered it onto the ramp and out of the van. There was a short, hushed conversation, and Taichi went back into the car, watching his father walk Hikari to the doors of the clinic.

The van was quiet. It didn't feel right to ask, and Taichi-san wouldn't tell.

Moments later, Taichi-san's father returned, and they were off again.

* * *

Ken felt something jostling into his chest, pulling him from his trying to remember. He shivered on the cold ground and opened his eyes. Minomon was staring up at him. "Ken-chan?" His little green head tilted to the right and if it weren't for his position, Ken would want to take a picture. Hikari-san would think it was really cute.

Not that Ken wouldn't agree. Minomon was cute (Another thing that made him different, boys weren't supposed to think stuff was cute.), especially since he wouldn't stop staring at him. "Are you okay?"

Ken nodded. "The floor's a little cold, but… but I'm okay." It wasn't as rough as the dirt under the tents, lucky for him.

Minomon hopped up on his pinecone (Ken wondered how he didn't fall over) and made an awkward floating bob towards the wall of the tree. "I'll go get you some leaves. They're more comfy than this floor!"

Ken opened his mouth to protest but Minomon disappeared before he could. He let out a tiny sigh. _Did he find Taichi-san?_ All this stuff had happened and all he had wanted to do was go to a summer camp and get pinecones and have _fun_ …

Well, he had gotten a pinecone. Minomon was half-pinecone.

He felt his eyes water and gave them a stubborn rub. He was being stupid, dumb as the crowd of giggling classmates that followed his brother at his school. He couldn't have done a thing about this. He couldn't have known what the shiny lights were when one appeared, or where he was.

He wasn't at the campsite anymore, that much was clear.

Where were the other campers? Were they okay?

A rustling noise suddenly reverberated through the walls of his safe zone. Ken tensed and curled up as small as possible.

 _It's just Minomon with the leaves, it's just Minomon with the leaves…._

Could he be that lucky?

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Hey guys! Happy Odaiba Day once again! Took me a while to decide to do this story, but I'm happy with how it's going so far! Please leave your reviews and the like below, I always appreciate them. Thank you again!

 **Challenges:** AU Diversity Boot Camp prompt "bubble", what if, character spin-off, season rewrite, headcanons, diversity writing (Digimon) prompt M10, and Advent Calendar challenge day 23. Yeesh, that's a lot. Anyway, just leaving that here.

Thanks so much for making it this far everybody!


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**_ Shout out to girlthatreads, KumoFuzei, Vigatus, Angelfish369, and The Violet Tomboy for reviewing, DalekDavros, Raccon Girl, XaoOfTheMists, and quickwolf for following, and Angelfish369, Ayumi1924, JusteBro, something dictionary related, and Twin tails Speed for favoriting. Nice to meet you guys!

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Meteorites of Miraculous Strength**

For a few hours, everything had seemed fun and smelling of dew. Tents were set up, kids went to explore, games were played. For Ken, it was like a dream come true. So many people to be around. Osamu was right about that at least. (He was wrong about the wolves though!) There was plenty more to take pictures of than he had thought. He hoped he could pay Hikari-san back somehow for the camera and the extra film he had found in his bag when they had left. it was almost like she had planned for this or something...

The most he could really do was take pictures though. Anything else made him too nervous to speak. Lucky for him, either Taichi-san was used to shy people, or he just was doing what Osamu had asked, but either way he was always around, showing him nice people or how to start a fire. (He almost set his _gloves_ on fire at first.)

Sora-san was very friendly. She did use his camera once or twice for silly things, which he was kind of afraid to develop. But she helped with the tent. He appreciated it.

He couldn't find all of his group members, but the person he was sharing the tent with, someone named Takeru, had just gone to explore after finding the tent.

Well, at least they were the same age. He thought they were anyway.

Hours passed like this, occasional lessons all over the place.

Then, when night fell, it started to snow. it soon became a blizzard.

Chaos reigned.

* * *

Ken made himself sit up, scrambling as far from the noise as possible without passing through the other side. He tried to stand with trembling legs.

Another rustling noise reverberated and Ken's fists clenched. Then Minomon hopped back through the wall, leaves piled all around his head. "I'm back, Ken-chan," he squeaked. "Brace yourself!"

Ken blinked. "Brace myself?"

Minomon leaped to his chest and then, within seconds, two others fell into the tree-thingy. Ken's eyes brightened. Even barely knowing him didn't stop Ken from recognizing that shock of brown hair. "Taichi-san!"

Taichi stumbled in and almost fell out from the force of Ken's charge. "Hey, Ken!" He grinned. "You're okay! Thank god. Thought your brother was gonna kill me." He looked down. "What's with the pinecone thing?"

Minomon raised himself up in the air, flippers crossing like arms. "I am not just a pinecone thing. I am a Digimon! I am Ken-chan's Digimon!"

"Minomon, take a breath," chirped a voice from under Taichi's shoulder. "Taichi is Ken's friend! He didn't mean it like that."

Minomon's mouth clacked for a few minutes, then he lowered himself to settle on Ken's shoulder. "Fine..."

Ken laughed. It felt weird to laugh. He peered past Taichi to see a mess of red hair. "Taichi-san, who, um, is..."

The brunette gave him a look of confusion. "It's Koushiro. Remember? He was in our group."

Ken flushed with mild embarrassment. "Everything was such a blur when the storm hit... forgive me, Koushiro-san."

Koushiro smiled a little, expression strained by the necessity of sucking in air. "Please don't worry. We were all stressed and terrified. It's only natural we forget details."

"Not you, Koushiro-han," chimed a new voice.

Koushiro shook his head "I'm not all that special Mochimon..."

"Ssh!" The monster by Taichi squeaked. "He's coming!"

The small space went quiet, and in the silence, he heard a familiar shrieking roar. Ken felt his knees quake. That thing... he had seen it earlier. A terrifying orange insect, chopping trees like toothpicks. Minomon nudged his chin and Ken bit his lip, afraid of the noise he would make if he opened his mouth. The buzzing, if it could be called buzzing, and not a dull roar of bees, grew louder and closer. Taichi pulled him down and the six of them remained crouched for a few minutes. Ken was never so grateful for a lack of claustrophobia as he was right then.

Eventually the shrieking buzz soared over their heads, passing by and growing faint in the distance."Is… is it gone?" Ken squeaked. Taichi put a hand on his arm and righted himself.

"I'm gonna look outside," he said, brown eyes already set.

"Be careful," Koushiro warned softly from where he was sitting.

Taichi grinned. "I'm always careful."

Koushiro made a tiny noise of dissent at that, which Ken found was probably the perfect response. In the few hours he had known Yagami Taichi, _careful_ would not be a word he would use to describe him.

Come to think of it, it was sunny outside, wasn't it? It had been dark before... at the campsite. Where were they now? Was it like that movie Osamu had watched where the dinosaurs got loose in the park? Jurassic… something or other? Didn't people get _eaten?_

He hoped nobody had gotten eaten.

"It's gone." Taichi's whisper broke Ken from his thoughts. "Come on." Koushiro breathed a small sigh of relief and crept after him. Ken hesitated, chewing his lip. He would be safe in this tree, hideout, thing, for a while. But he would need water and food and he had no clue how to get it or where it was. So he trailed out last, feeling suddenly vulnerable. And squishy.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked. Koushiro and Taichi had woken up together, so maybe they had found a safe place… somewhere?

Koushiro glanced over at him, pulling the pink blob off of his back to gently set him on the ground. "I awoke in an area that was dense with trees at the top. Sora-san is there, perhaps any others will be there. We should return to check on things." He paused and glanced up at Taichi. "Does that seem sensible?"

Taichi blinked in surprise. "Yeah, it's fine, right Koromon?"

The odd creature bounced free of Taichi, seeming to nod despite the distinct lack of a neck. "Un! Let's go Taichi! Let's go! The others are waiting!" He vanished from sight into the trees and bushes.

Taichi groaned. "Hey get back here! You're smaller than me!" He bolted after him and Ken stared. Then he looked down at Minomon.

"Um… can you see them?" The Digimon rose to check, then the twig on Minomon's head drooped. Ken took that as a no.

Koushiro stepped in the direction they had gone. "Please don't worry." Now that Ken listened, Koushiro's voice sounded rather stilted. It was like Osamu when he was being interviewed by relatives. "Mochimon and I memorized the route. We should catch up with them."

Ken managed a smile. "Okay… thank you very much. That's a relief."

"Taichi-san is always rather forward," Koushiro mused before replying. "The pleasure is all mine."

Ken took Minomon from the air and began to follow. After a couple minutes of quiet walking, he ventured to ask. "Koushiro-san… where are we?"

Koushiro didn't answer, so focused on the path ahead, but the blob at his side, Mochimon, did so for him. "You are in the Digital World. We've been waiting for you to come here."

"Why?" He wanted to clamp his mouth shut after that silly question. However, Minomon had an answer.

"Because that's all we know. We're not like the other Digimon. You're all we need."

What a weird answer.

* * *

The makeshift shelter was somewhat darker, with only a few beams of sunlight peeking in through the twined branches. It was cooler here and Ken wiped sweat from behind his neck. He walked forward and saw a few others. Taichi was crouched by who he vaguely thought was Sora-san. She was murmuring in a low, frantic voice until she caught sight of Ken himself. She smiled and glanced behind her. Someone was pacing, and looked up at the sound of Ken's squeaky shoes hitting the dirt. His blue eyes would have been cold to anyone who hadn't grown up around Ichijouji Osamu. "Have you seen Takeru?"

"Takeru…?" Ken racked his brain to remember just who that was. After those meteors hit, everything had gotten rather fuzzy. Then he remembered a flash of blond hair covered in a green hat. "I haven't seen him since camp. I'm very sorry."

The older boy ground his teeth together. "Wonderful."

Ken winced. "But that might mean he's back there too." If this was the Digital World, so an entirely new world to them, he could still be on Earth. Maybe?

The blond boy opened his mouth to say something else and Taichi called out. "Yamato, oi. We haven't found everybody. He could be fine. Leave the kid alone, would ya?"

"Easy for you to say," 'Yamato' muttered as he went back to pacing.

Taichi gave him a one-eyed glare before beckoning Ken over. Ken hurried to join him, watching Yamato with a worried glance. He was like Osamu without that closed-off face. He hoped Takeru, whoever and wherever he was, was all right, for this person's sake. "Um… have we found anyone else?"

"Our group leader, Jyou-senpai," Sora replied, brushing the head of the strange sprout thing in her lap like it had hair. "And a few bags of luggage." She reached over. "Here's yours, Ken-kun. Jyou-senpai went to look around. He hoped there was a rest stop we could stay in or something."

Ken took it with a relieved squeak and began to rummage. His extra blanket and first aid kit were in here and a few other things he probably wasn't able to carry. He hurried to pocket the extra rolls of film. At least, if he didn't make it out of this, he would have pictures. There would be evidence that this, whatever it was, was _real_. Seconds later, he pinched his cheek. What was he thinking? He was going to be fine. Taichi-san had promised to keep him safe. And that was a promise made to his own big brother, which meant it would be kept no matter what. They just needed to find out where they were and how to get home.

"Anything we can carry in there?" Taichi asked. Ken nodded and showed him the open bag. "Um… it's not a lot but I have some things we can use."

Taichi peered into it and whistled. "Your brother is protective, huh?"

Ken flushed. Well, when he put it like that… "Onii-chan just worries. I am pretty small."

"Can't argue with that." Taichi flicked his nose and Ken laughed before he could stop himself.

Minomon tilted his head from where he was now leaning precariously over Ken's shoulder. "Why was that funny? It looked like it hurt!"

Ken frowned, trying to think of an answer, but Sora chimed in. "It didn't hurt Ken at all, it was just fun. Sometimes older brothers do that to younger ones."

"Ken-chan is related to someone with big hair?"

"No," Taichi said with a grin before Ken could respond. "Ken is related to someone with a big brain that's not Koushiro."

Minomon's twig spun into a spiral. "I'm confused."

"Humans are confusing, remember Minomon?" Koromon said sagely from the ground.

Minomon nodded. "Yeah, that's true."

"Yamato, stop pacing," mumbled a little voice from under a tree. "You're making me dizzy…"

Yamato paused to kneel, face shifting with discomfort. "Sorry, Tunomon…" He picked him up, blinking at the utter joy that the little horned furball exuded at the physical contact. Ken looked away, feeling a little awkward.

"Um…" He fished for words. "Minomon, how many of you are there?" When Minomon blinked beady black eyes at him, he elaborated. "You guys said you were waiting for us. How many of you were waiting?"

"Seven!" chimed Koromon from Taichi's side. "There used to be eight of us, but one died."

Sora blanched and Ken shivered. Mochimon made a low noise and gently poked him in the forehead. "Idiot, don't talk about that. Humans take death seriously, remember?"

"Only according to you!" Koromon said, but he subsided. "Sorry."

Taichi tugged at one of his floppy ears and glanced at Koushiro. The redhead had gone a little clammy. "You all right there?"

Koushiro swallowed and nodded. "Yes… I should probably sit down." He did so, pausing to take a few deep breaths. "At any rate, there are seven of you, and we have found six, so that leaves one of you and one more human, correct?"

"Yeah, Tanemon!" chirped the creature in Sora's lap. "She's a little airheaded sometimes but she's a whole lot of fun."

"Sounds like Mimi," Taichi muttered. "What are the chances of that?"

Sora giggled. "Don't jinx it, Taichi."

Moments later, the quiet forest filled with two loud screams and an incredible buzzing.

Yamato groaned. "You jinxed it."

* * *

When Taichi had shouted to get out of there, no one had hesitated. Bags were hastily grabbed and they ran from the shelter. Yamato had mused that it may have been better not to get lost, but...

As Taichi-san had put it, it was better than being sitting ducks.

Minomon shot another pinecone. "Keep it up, Koromon!" His high voice bubbled over the screaming of falling trees. "Ken-chan and the others... we need to protect them!"

"Don't need you to tell me that!" Taichi grabbed him as he almost went flying out of the human's arms into a tree.

The beast shrieked overhead.

"What's ticked off a Kuwagamon?" Koromon muttered.

Tunomon made a noise like a hysterical giggle. "It's easier to list what _doesn't."_

Ken failed to see what was so funny, but that might have been why it was hilarious.

They kept running together until they saw the edge of...

Taichi groaned. "Just our luck! A damn cliff." Ken scrambled to his side, staring at the water below. There was no way they could jump. Height aside, the water would hurt more than hitting the ground. Taichi pushed Ken behind him. "Don't worry," he said. "We're gonna make it out of this."

It was a lie. It had to be a lie. Still, Ken felt his heartbeat slow. "O-okay..."

Two figures came into view, one lanky with blue hair and the other dressed in pink. Ken struggled to put names to faces. Sora, at the sight of them, let out a sigh of relief. "Mimi-chan, Jyou-senpai…" Then she grimaced. "Maybe we should have stayed in the woods…".

Yamato grimaced, not feeling Tunomon starting to wriggle. "We may have ended up here anyway, if it had found us there… oi, Koushiro!"

Koushiro lifted his head, having been muttering and looking around. "Yes?"

"Is there any way for us to dodge around this thing and get somewhere else?"

There was barely a pause. "We would have to get under it, or disable its legs That's… about all I can gather from seeing it. I don't think we can get its wings or the pincers…"

"You're not getting them," Mochimon said with sudden firmness. "We are! Everybody, come on, we've gotta move! For Koushiro-han!"

The other creatures - Digimon- all made tiny cries of agreement and wrenched away from the humans, launching forward in bouncing charges. It was almost comical if not for the stomping for the wild insect onto the cliff. It shrieked like a demon and Ken clapped his hands over his ears, losing his grip on Minomon, who hovered in the air.

"Where are you guys going?" Yamato shouted.

"To protect you, obviously!" Tunomon shot back. "I'm diving in front! Cover me!" He took a particularly high bounce, and soared over some heads.

Minomon flew to catch him, struggling to carry him higher. "I'll get him further up!"

"Are you guys crazy?" Taichi began to step forward. "You're smaller than us, you can't beat that thing!"

Koromon threw his body forward with his ears. "We're gonna try! We'll protect you! We've been waiting so long!"

"We can't lose you!" Pyocomon added, aiming bubbles at eyes they couldn't see.

"Without you," chirped one of the new monsters, a brown creature like a dinosaur. "We're running like wheel without a hamster! So be quiet and stay over there like good little humans."

"They're insane," muttered the blue-haired boy. Ken agreed, but he couldn't actually speak, heart in his mouth. "They can't beat it; they're so small."

Minomon managed to get Tunomon higher in the air and dropped him, floating wearily to the ground. Ken moved before he could stop himself, sliding to the ground and catching the insect. "Why'd you do that?" he asked, eyes wide. He didn't even know Minomon; he wouldn't have done that.

Minomon smiled with bleary eyes, as much as he could smile. "You know why." His breathing grew raspy and worn. "Let me go, Ken-chan. The others are…" As he spoke the Digimon were thrown flying back. They didn't even bounce, merely skidded to halt by their feet. "We aren't done. We waited forever and ever for this. Please… please let us fight."

"We can beat him," Koromon added. "I know we can. We've got you guys here. We can do it!"

"No," Sora insisted and the air felt thick, like they all only knew how to breathe wool. "No, you can't. You're so small, you can't."

"We can!" Koromon cried, and like that was a calling card, they all broke away and charged.

Ken couldn't move. His legs were frozen in place. But Taichi apparently had no such problem. He bolted forward, almost dead-center in the path of the insect's claws.

"Taichi-san…!" No one was sure who shouted that, but the pincers made to swing closed as Taichi dove towards an open leg.

That was when the sky went dark.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ I love cliffhangers, don't you? Anyway, I'm a little amused that everyone is zeroing in on the one thing I cannot yet explain in fic. But I will, I promise! Just wait and enjoy the adventures of the Chosen Children! Well, see you all later! Please don't hesitate to say a few words in that comment box below.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three: Dive Into the Adventure**_

A child slept in a bed, covered in crisp sheets and unaware of the cloudy sky outside his window. He didn't even stir when a small purple creature peeked inside, watching the rise and fall of his chest. How long did these sleep anyway?

Ah well, he had yet to find someone to keep an eye on them, so perhaps unconsciousness was best for the time being.

He moved towards the human again and touched his nose to the fingertips peeking out of the sheets. The hand twitched away under the covers and the human rolled over and away, whining in his sleep. The Digimon stepped back, waiting for the tiny noises to grow quiet once more. The human child mumbled once more before growing quiet. The creature pattered away from him. He didn't need to be involved with it.

He would need to find out what humans could eat once this one awoke. It would certainly be easier than finding him dead or poisoned. Perhaps it was many things, seeing as the human had so many smells.

Tsukaimon looked towards the sky. Clouds were coming closer. Better than too much sun, but the wind had not promised rain.

Then, a tinny whine came from the bag drying over the chair. The child sniffled as the noise grew but refused to wake. Tsukaimon turned the bag into view and his eyes widened.

He lowered the bag and glanced at the human. Then he hurried away, not noticing the door left ajar.

When he made it down the hallway, Tsukaimon laughed until he coughed.

A chosen one. He had found a chosen one. What luck! At long last, he could, he would-

His exile was over at last!

* * *

The darkening sky was something that usually meant a storm, great and terrible. As it was, it was like the clouds had stopped time instead. Taichi managed to slide under the creature's legs. Said insect didn't move, frozen mid-scream.

The clouds continued to swirl and Ken wanted to curl up into a ball. His body was thrumming like an agitated guitar string, waiting to snap in two. A light flickered from inside his pocket and like the explosion of falling stars, the sky peppered white. Then the clouds opened up and their tiny Digimon were engulfed in light. The insect let out a roar of pain and time started again.

"Taichi!" Sora shouted. "Move!"

Taichi scrambled to his feet as one of the limbs swung towards him. He yelped and rolled back down.

Ken saw the arc of the large horns as the insect stepped back. "Taichi-san, jump!"

Taichi made to, almost hitting a tree in the process. He grabbed a branch and threw himself to the other side "I'm okay!"

"Usually is," Yamato muttered despite himself.

"Never mind me," Taichi called. "What's up with the little guys?"

"Well, we could tell if we could see," Ken heard the blue-haired boy say. He had already shut his eyes, feeling like he was looking at the sun. He wrenched them open behind his fingers, as if compelled.

The light burst in a rainbow of color and a yellow dinosaur rushed from it first. He swung his claws into the insect's head, somersaulting to land a couple meters away. "Heheh, got 'em!" He hopped from one large foot to another, fangs glowing in the fading light.

"You could have knocked him over and hit your partner, Agumon," chirped the voice of a white seal. "Then we would have been screwed. Human pancakes are inedible and stuff."

"I... don't think that's the problem, Gomamon." A small yellow beast tugged at its fur coat. "Agumon, move him!"

"Right!" The dinosaur charge. "Stay there, Taichi!"

Taichi frowned a little, starting to sit up. "Koro...mon?"

"Agumon!" The dinosaur corrected with a grin. "Just wait there, okay?" He dove towards the gap beneath the bug's abdomen. As he did, One of the creatures opened his maw and released a blast of blue fire. The insect swung and a pink bird lifted the other out of the way. Said beast squeaked in alarm. "Piyomon, my coat, my coat!"

"Stop squirming, Gabumon! I've got you!"

The scene would have almost been comical if the bug hadn't knocked them out of the air. Yamato and Sora both twitched like they had been shocked, moving before they could stop themselves.

Meanwhile, Agumon managed to pick up Taichi and dodged each flailing arm with quick leaps. "Hold on, Taichi!"

Taichi groaned between each jump. "Hold onto wha-at?"

"On nothing, We're here now." Agumon set him down and they all hurried to look him over. Ken's eyes were wide enough to hurt his eye sockets.

"You're okay…" He shook a little before he could control it. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to stick near Taichi. If he ran into things like this, Ken inevitably would have to follow him, or be nearby and that would put him in danger. That would be the opposite of what his brother wanted.

"Ken-chan!" Something tugged at his pants. He looked down to see a large green caterpillar crawling up his leg. "We're all okay, Ken-chan!"

"M - Minomon?" It was a good thing he didn't hate bugs.

The caterpillar shook his head. "I'm Wormmon now! Ken-chan, I need your help. We need to make ropes!"

Gomamon waddled over to the edge of the cliff. "Buddy, they're gonna need grappling hooks to get down there."

Wormmon made a tiny noise of affront."I don't see you coming up with anything," he mumbled.

"He's got me there!" Gomamon paused. "Okay, I got it!" He threw back his white head and shrieked. They all cringed at the sound but the water below began to gurgle. Fish rose from its depths, big and small and rainbow colors. They swam around in the currents, swirling and forming what was practically a giant, bright target.

"Kay!" Gomamon went over to Jyou and swatted his legs, making him yelp. "Go on and jump!"

"Are you crazy?" Jyou shouted.

"A little!" Gomamon grinned. "But I called the fish, so they're gonna catch ya. Or something."

"That isn't comforting in the slightest- oh god!"

The insect raised his horns and slammed them down, shaking the ground. Wormmon tugged at Ken's leg again. "Ken-chan, lift me up! We have to hurry and stick his horns."

Ken blinked and looked over at the large bug. Those things were probably going to crack the ground again, or... He shuddered. There were worse things they could do. He picked up Wormmon without a second thought. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Are you planning on doing something dumb there, Ken?" Taichi said. He looked strangely proud of the idea.

Ken thought about it. Well, he had no proof that he wasn't. "Nothing as bad as you, I think." He flushed. Oh wow, he had actually said that.

Yamato chortled. "I think that was a challenge." He regarded the Digimon beside him. Gabumon's big red eyes were on him, waiting for an order. At least that was what he thought the guy wanted. "You all right?"

Gabumon gave an eager nod and turned back around. Yamato frowned. _What... what the hell was that?_ Gabumon didn't answer his thoughts. Instead he shot a jet of blue fire at the bug again. Agumon stepped next to him, releasing small fireballs. The flames sent the bug stumbling back. It shrieked and Gabumon turned back. "We need to hurry!"

"Ken-chan!" Wormmon's voice grew insistent and Ken scooped him up. Wormmon pointed with one of his pods and Ken hurried to obey, running to the side. Wormmon adjusted himself and opened his pod of a mouth, releasing a spider web.

if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, Ken would have probably faceplanted. He guessed Digimon just didn't understand basic biology. Unless Wormmon was like a silkworm… he didn't have time for this!

"Under," Wormmon cried and Ken made himself dive, thanking his short time at soccer club. The web spread, wrapping around the bug's horns like silk. It swung at them and Wormmon shoved Ken to the side, rolling them both away from the flailing appendages. Ken got to his feet again and bolted out of the way. Wormmon bounced under his arm,. They went running back to Taichi and the others. Ken coughed under his hand when they got there, wheezing for air.

"Ookay, so…" Taichi made himself stand up, watching the flailing bug. "What are we doing now?"

"Running away," Gomamon said with a grin. He waved a flipper at the flower creature who Mimi seemed to be hugging for dear life. "Palmon, go go, go!" He curled up into a ball. "Everybody brace for impact!" Palmon reluctantly left Mimi's side and wrapped her vines around the Gomamon ball. She raised it up and threw him. She threw again, and again, and the more she threw, the more the ground shook. Kuwagamon stumbled and roared, trying to break from the web. The stomp of his large feet shook the ground, ending up bouncing Gomamon right into his face. The cliff cracked.

Jyou's eyes widened, the plan hitting him like a bowling ball to the stomach. "Are you guys crazy?"

"Probably," Gomamon shouted. "All right guys, get ready. Count of one-"

Jyou ran to stop Palmon's throw.

"Two-"

"Don't!" It had clicked in the other's heads a little too late.

" _Three_!"

A number of things happened at once. The Gomamon ball made a resounding crack. Kuwagamon's giant pincers stabbed into what was left of the cliff. It shattered and everyone proceeded to fall. Loudly.

"How was this a good idea?" Yamato shouted over Mimi and Ken's screaming.

"We didn't say it was!" Agumon whooped. "Doesn't mean it won't work!"

Ken started to hyperventilate. They would hit the water. Water hit hard. There'd be a bunch of kid pancakes going through the river.

"It's okay, Ken-chan!" How Wormmon had the sense of mind to reassure anyone was beyond him. "The fish will save us!"

Ken had no idea what he was talking about anymore. He was too busy screaming, eyes screwed shut, expecting the end.

Then he hit a lot of squirming... things with little more than a plop. Ohhh... those fish. Ken opened his eyes. He wasn't dead, he thought. He sat up and wrinkled his nose. He knew that smell.

"You okay, Ken-chan?" Wormmon's voice was barely audible over the sound of other humans splatting onto their makeshift fish raft.

Ken nodded. It was better to smell like fish than dead... though he'd left his suitcase to fall into the river. He felt around for his bag and breathed a sigh of relief. Good, it was still here. "How..."

"My Marching Fishes." Gomamon lifted up from the water, sounding smug. "He's gonna have to chase us over the water now if he's that dumb. All we need to do is knock him in and then bam! Instant win!"

 _Instant death._

"Sure don't sound easy," Jyou muttered as he sat up.

Gomamon rolled his eyes. "You're such a stick in the mud!"

Agumon raised his head. "Hang on!" He opened his jaws. "Baby Flame!" The fireball soared over the choppy waves, mixing with a green tornado of fire. Gabumon made himself rise on the moving fish and released a jet of blue flame. They hit the giant bug and sent his head jerking back. The insect shrieked and all the Digimon dropped down.

"Speed it up!" Gomamon shouted to the fish below. They swam in faster squirms through the water.

Kuwagamon shrieked again and the smaller Digimon responded with more flames to the face. By this time, he had gotten closer and was now thrown back from the explosion of fire.

Palmon raised her arms and shot purple vines, grabbing a large rock and pulling it down. It hit Kuwagamon right in the back, knocking him into the river.

The resulting wave of water was higher than their heads.

Gomamon swallowed. "Oops."

* * *

Her father had a bad habit of turning off the radio when he was driving. It was like he thought if Hikari didn't see the sad things on the news, she wouldn't know there were any. That was a little naive of him. But, her father wanted her to be happy, so she couldn't be mad at him for it. It was hard to be mad at him. He was so fun.

He opened the door, letting her push the chair in onto the floor. Her mother kissed her forehead, holding out both hands. Hikari obediently reached for them, pulling herself up to a shaky standing position. She turned slowly, taking careful steps towards the couch. She reached for handholds, vividly aware of her parents tense behind her. It made her eyes water with irritation, but Hikari had mastered the art of avoiding eye contact by now. She furrowed her brow and continued her slow trek to the couch.

She pushed herself onto the cushions an eternity later, biting back a relieved sigh. Her legs had been about to give. Still, that was better.

Her parents didn't sigh aloud with relief. The doctors had told them time and time again not to do that, and it had finally stuck. She picked up the remote.

When the television winked on, her mother went to get her purse. "Grandpa called. We're going to see them for a little while, your grandmother is in the hospital. Do you want us to get you anything?"

Hikari thought about it. "Plums, please!" Of course, she was worried about her grandparents, but the question had to be answered. Also, one of the earliest things she had learned was that saying that they needed the hospital wasn't an instant death sentence, especially for the elderly.

"You've had a taste for those lately," her father said with a chuckle. "We'll see what we can do."

"Thank you!"

"Don't push yourself!"

Hikari waved at her parents until the door closed, then she slowly lowered her hand, face falling. "Don't push yourself. They always thought she would. She was a burden on them, it was still scary to leave her alone, even with her wheelchair resting right near her on the couch...

She slapped her cheeks. No, she couldn't think like that. She was strong, like her brother said. She was getting better at this, and if she couldn't, she would find a way to handle this. Somehow. Hikari sighed a little and stretched again, massaging her legs. It was going to be a long afternoon. Maybe Jun-san would be willing to spend some time with her. She always was nice to her at least, even if she mostly talked about teenager stuff like boys and really complicated homework. She crawled over to the phone and dialed.

There was a click. "Hi!"

Hikari blinked. That wasn't Jun-san's voice. "Daisuke-kun?"

"Hikari-chan!" Daisuke was probably waving st the phone. "What's up?"

"Aren't you supposed to be at camp?" Onii-chan had said he wasn't in the same group as he was, which was usually dangerous for people's mental health. The two of them weren't much better together though.

Daisuke let out a loud groan, almost drowning out his sister's laughter. "I got a stomach bug last night! The parents made me not go!"

Hikari muffled a giggle. Of course. Only Daisuke-kun, this _always_ happened to him... "I'm sorry, Daisuke-kun, you were really looking forward to it."

He sighed. "Yeah, but mom and dad had to go out anyway. They wanted to check on something for dad's job." He paused for a few minutes. "Can I come over... _aneki_ * is boring..."

Hikari smiled as Jun shouted something at him before nodding. "Sure, no one's home. I just got back anyway."

He must have smiled because the phone suddenly seemed a lot lighter in her hands. "Yeah, sure! _Aneki_ will have to come because apparently I can't get to your house on my own." Brief silence. "I'm not gonna puke in the street, sis!"

Hikari couldn't contain her giggles now. "Th-That's fine, Daisuke-kun. I'll see you then." She hung up, moving back on the couch. Well, at least she wouldn't be bored.

She turned back to the television. The news flashed, showing more world natural disasters. Hikari chewed her lip as the image fuzzed a little. The strange creature appeared in seconds, standing still. This one, resting on a building in Brazil, watched as tornadoes blew, wrecking buildings and ignoring the screams below. Another image, a bear making a blizzard, dried up rice paddies in South Asia, floods in the Middle East... On and on, over and over. The rest blamed global warming. She knew it wasn't. She knew it was those like Koromon.

 _The ground cracked and the bridge grunted. Light flashed and then the world fell out of place and into pain-_

She shook her head. No, no, no! It wasn't Koromon's fault, it was _that bird_ 's fault, just like it was those monsters that were hurting the earth when they didn't mean to. She loosened her unintentionally tight grip on the arm of the sofa. Her legs ached as a new caster went into view.

 _"We interrupt this program with an important announcement. A blizzard is heading towards Mt. Mitake*. Please take appropriate precautions, as there is a blizzard warning. Once again, please be sure to take appropriate-"_

Hikari sighed a little. Well, the good thing about not going to camp was that she wouldn't get cold in the snow. Wait... Mitake...

"Onii-chan is there for camp..." She fiddled with her shirt hem. Would that mean a creature was over there?

Ichijouji-kun would be there too.

She hoped they would stay safe.

Her legs gave another gentle throb.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** _ Hi! Sorry for the delay on this. I had to change the fight scene because well, the characters are different. So I ended up making it less of a fight and a more of a 'let's make use of our home environment in as weird of a way as possible. Hey, they're kids. They needed to do something absurd. That and it's time to make the Hikari stuff and everything else! start to fit in. Hehe. Well, enjoy as always, guys! Please don't be afraid to talk to me!

 _aneki* -_ Another way to refer to someone as your older sister.

Mt. Mitake* - A mountain that is near the Tokyo area, specifically in Chichibu Tama Kai National Park. There is a large, popular Shinto shrine on it, as well as various areas to hike and camp. It was never specified where the kids were camping at, so I looked for a good substitute.

Anyway, that's it from me, hope you enjoyed it!


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